Newt's Back

And he is indeed running for President according to Reuters and all the other major news sites. A good thing? He was always open to technology and is today. He certainly seems to be devoted to his third wife Callista. But. But. This was the guy who said in the 1990's a major problem with the Republican party was that it didn't encourage people to be nasty. Huh? They surely seemed to learn from him since arguably the Tea Party is the result of this rabble rousing and other rabble rousing by other "loyal opposition" figures in the 1990s. Then there was the brouhaha where he promoted GOPAC, but on the floor of the House of Representatives. Not during a speech or a fundraiser which would be totally acceptable but ON THE HOUSE FLOOR. The Multinational Monitor discusses it here. The House ethics committee, chaired by a Republican at the time went on to denounce him for doing this per this December 7th 1995 article from Philly.com.

Here's the secret. I was the person who tipped off Rep Bonior and prompted him to file an ethics charge against Gingrich on 3/7/1995. Yep, yours truly. Something had fallen into my hands called the Newt Gingrich Crestothomy. It was a ream of documents photocopied from various places and one was the Congressional Record. He did indeed on at least one occasion promote GOPAC on the House floor and the tapes from his course Renewing American Civilization. I was angry at the outcome of the 1994 elections and angry this man was Speaker. And I wanted to do something about it so I did. In the end it was one of the swords that forced the bull out of the Speaker's ring. It wasn't the fatal blow but it was one that weakened him. And though he probably figures that people have forgotten it by now and that it was only a technicality in the first place one must wonder if he'd take to fundraising in the White House. Yes, big donors have slept in the Lincoln Bedroom but would Newt take to doing videos of courses for his resuscitated college course? Or do other things? The mind boggles and understandably, my mind is one of those that boggles.

Earth Day 2011

I promise I have not forgotten about plus size and Preppy, and will have a selection of fun more casual Preppy clothes in my next post on that topic. But...shifting gears to the eco-side of my blog, tomorrow as nearly all of us know by now is Earth Day. And each year the list of stores, restaurants and companies getting in on Earth Day gets longer and longer. To wit Yahoo has an article listing all the great deals and other events here. Some are totally in the spirit of Earth Day in this blogger's view, such as those which encourage you to bring in a coffee travel mug or an empty container of makeup in exchange for a refill of coffee or a full size cleanser at Origins. But discounts on "everything"? The Refresh Your Nest sweepstakes? I love the stores that are doing these and love that they are trying to raise awareness about Earth Day. The other day I got an email from a large bookstore chain offering discounts on books about how to be more eco-conscious.

But...as I slide into Andy Rooney mode here. But. Maybe our nest is okay the way it is and maybe our TV's and other items are okay. And what about the paper that those eco-conscious books may end up generating? It all boils down to more stuff. It may be fun to pick up the books and circulate them among friends who are interested in reading them so several people are reading a single book. If you are the lucky one who wins that Refresh Your Nest sweepstakes, donate the old stuff, the kitchenware to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or if you are really lucky and have a Unique store in your area, donate to them. See if a salvage lot or shop in your area will take old ceiling fixtures, cabinetry and the like. Or move the cabinets to your basement if you get new ones in your kitchen.

Toiletries and cosmetics are a tricky area for reuse. Sometimes they DO need to be tossed and as you've probably heard by now if anything smells or looks off, it needs to go out. You don't want to harm yourself putting old creams on your body or lipsticks on your face. I never did used to care about old makeup and hung on for dear life. Then my Mom lost her life to lymphoma. Then I started wondering if ingredients metastasize. I'm not a scientist and don't know for sure but am going the better safe than sorry route now. Still though there are ways. If you are comfortable with gently used items or want to find new items, Makeupalley is a great resource. You must register and they have a "token" system that works alot like feedback on Ebay, the more positive tokens, the higher a member is rated. If you aren't as comfortable with this, try using a fragrance you aren't crazy about on you as an air freshener or leave it in your office bathroom. Shower gels can make great liquid hand soaps. I have never tried body lotion as shaving cream but have heard many vouch for it.

I would love to hear any more ideas you, my dear readers, have on reusing items. And happy Earth Day to all!

Preppy...And Plus Size? Part One

My name is Vicki and I'm a plus size Prep. There. I said it. I may be not in the size range of Lilly P or Vineyard Vines but I can still smile when I see their clothes. It's about color even if, maybe especially if, I can't really summer or winter and my last skiing lesson was a disaster. And I am sitting behind a desk much of the time instead of being outside swatting tennis balls. I know I can't be alone. Impossible. Brands like Lauren by RL are branching out and creating amazing looks for plus size preppies. So are others. When I first started looking for great looks, I wasn't sure what to expect but actually was blown away by what is out there. So this is a multi part post, starting with scenarios where you may need something in the "dressy" category. Your first scenario; you have a wedding, baby shower, or graduation to go to. Or a laid back cocktail party.

Studio Tahari, Bloomingdales ($148.00). Turquoise is a great color on nearly everyone, from the fair haired preppy to the brunette. The length of this hem is great too, just above the knee. The split neck and trim around the neck say "prep".

You have a job interview and want to look great:

The dress at left is courtesy of Studio Tahari ($108) Bloomingdales. The jacket below is by Kate Hill ($149.00) LordandTaylor.com

Now you have the job. Congratulations! But here it comes, your first meeting or presentation and you're front and center. You can pair the black sheath with the blue jacket or either cardigan below if your workplace is more casual.

Cardigan, left, Ralph Lauren ($129, "Pasha" ivory silk cardigan) Bloomingdales.

Below, cardigan from Jones New York Sport Plus $63.00 from Zappos.

This is just a start! For a casual Friday day you could pair either cardigan with jeans, the black dress can easily move to evening with great jewelry and heels. Lilly (of course!) has some wonderful shoes to pair with that turquoise and white dress here. Brooks Brothers has some great ideas both for work and for play here.

Like I say above, this is just a start. Please let me know what scenarios YOU would like sartorial ideas for and I will see what I can come up with. This may be a topic where there are endless possibilities that point to one reality; prep is for EVERYONE!

Next post is casual time!

How the Mighty Have Fallen

One time Abercrombie and Fitch was a place America's royalty and plenty of other royalty shopped. This link is from the Wikipedia page, however a google gives plenty of info backing this up and there is even a book out there where the author sounds off about why they hate A & F and how the mighty have indeed fallen. And they have. Fast forward to 2011 and their attempt to convince girls as young as 7 years old (funny that, my eldest is 7) that they NEED padded bikini tops. Um, yeah over my dead body. It got a not so surprising negative reaction and shame on me for blogging about something that's been all over the interwebs today and that Abercrombie has now decided to market only to girls 12 years old and over. But it bears repeating, girls NEED to stay girls. Period and no matter how often it is repeated.

Consider these Land's End swimsuits. Feminine and cute. AND age appropriate.

If you page through the kids catalog, you do indeed come across 2 piece styles vs the tankini style above but they are age appropriate AND cute and feminine. This is a company that I love, love, love for providing stylish options for men, women and kids but also providing the tried and true classics that stand the test of time and aren't affected by trends. If you are looking for cute dresses and other summer clothes for girls, the LE "Knit Kit" is another sure bet. Cute feminine clothes, dresses for twirling with leggings or shorts underneath, and the prices are right. Garnanimals for this generation of girls.

And our girls will need to grow up soon enough anyway, right? I was heartened my eldest wanted some leggings to wear under one of her girly dresses the other day and she looked cute as could be when she put the look together. Let's hear it for cute and age appropriate and girls having the time to be girls.

Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro passed away this morning at the age of 75 due to complications from blood cancer. This article from the AP discusses her many accomplishments throughout her career and how she did indeed break the glass ceiling for women interested in pursuing higher office. The Hillary Clintons and Sarah Palins (aside from Mrs. Clinton already having many accomplishments and smarts that would help her be taken seriously as a candidate for higher office anyway) could more easily be seen as plausible serious candidates for the Vice Presidency and even the Presidency since a woman had been there before they did it.

I remember from my Hill intern days getting on the elevator, running like mad to avoid being late to wherever it was I had to be, delivering a letter to another office, or getting back to my office from lunch or going there in the morning. And I almost knocked her down. I looked behind me and there she was with her bodyguard. She had been assigned one because she had at this point officially become Mr. Mondale's running mate. I was absolutely blown away and taken aback because she was about 5'3 and wearing of all things....a dress. It was a dress similar to the one she is wearing in the picture from the Life magazine archive above. Granted she did wear suits with padded shoulders and bow blouses like the one Mrs. Mondale is pictured in above but very frequently she opted for the dress. I have looked high and low to find something to back this up but all I have is my memory; of reading an article about Mrs. Ferraro that said she often wore Maggy London dresses. Their square necks, nipped in waistlines and sleeves with inverted pleats that made a bit of a puff were a very far cry from the "uniform" many women wore in the early to mid 80s of a navy, grey, or black suit with big padded shoulders, and a light (preferably white) blouse with the floppy tie.

I don't remember anyone ever questioning her accomplishments or her authority even though she often opted for the Maggy London dresses over the power suits. A trailblazer in more than one way. God Speed Ms. Ferraro.

Getting the Green On

So this week there was a certain holiday where wearing of the green is for many mandatory and others at least think about it just a little bit before being contrarian. I had found a hole in one of my beloved shirts of the perfect emerald green and was not happy about it but it did give me the chance to try something a little wild and maybe a little weird for someone who considers herself a Prep. I had wondered what putting on basecoat, then opaque white polish, then layering a glittery but dullish shade over it would look like. It looks like the above. At first I thought "Yikes." and WTH? It is an out there look. However it has grown on me and the polish color looks almost three dimensional. I have also heard on very good authority that one way to deal with bruised or discolored toenails is to put this opaque white shade on as a basecoat. Then you're free to layer sheer polish over it without the discoloration showing through.

So this is what my toenails are going to look like for the time being. A bit new wave to be sure but a color I think we have all seen rugby stripes and polo shirts in. And anyway we all know there are a few types of Preppies (more on that later when I blog about my favorite things).

Not Dead...Yet

It's time. I have been not even remiss, beyond remiss in the updating of this blog. However, I am back and this time (I hope) I will not be such a slacker. So much has happened, the last time I posted a tea party was this event you had with The Girls or in my case my little girls and a few stuffed animals. Now it's, well, you know (more on this later, believe me).

I've also been still scouting out great preppy haunts in the Metro DC and Northern Virginia areas. I had passed by a shop called The Preppy Pink Pony many a time and, intrigued, had wanted to go in, but I was never there during shop hours and when I was, just not able to set aside the time to stop. Believe me as I gazed across the Safeway parking lot from the urgent care clinic, headache feeling like a vice, prescription in hand, I had wanted to stop by. But since this was my usual state when in that neck of the woods, I couldn't go by there. Until a few weeks ago when I was near there to get take out instead of stumble into the clinic sick as a dog. While waiting for the food, I took a stroll over there and Wow! This shop has alot of wonderful preppy needs and a zillion wants. They had Trappe Candles, Bed Head PJ's, lovely silver jewelry and Lilly things for the home like picture frames and bulletin boards, and Scout Bags. Which I immediately fell in love with because the webbing on many of their styles is not navy as is the case with many preppy bags but black. Which to my eye is amazing with pinks, greens and other preppy brights.

But this isn't all, The Preppy Pink Pony has Bonanno sandals, needlepoint sandals and monogrammed clogs for both big people and little people and...Lilly, the resident pooch. Natch, The Preppy Pink Pony has lots of treats for the doggie in your life.

You can visit The Preppy Pink Pony and shop online here.